The present invention relates to an oil quality measurement device for an oil circuit.
The reliable operation of an oil circuit for lubricating an internal combustion engine in a motor vehicle or a hydraulic installation, for example, requires good oil quality. In the course of operation of an oil circuit, the oil quality may deteriorate, for example, due to dirt contamination, decomposition, water absorption, or the like. In lubricant oil circuits of internal combustion engines, soot particles, abraded metal, and even fuel, among other things, enter the oil in an undesired way and reduce its lubricating ability.
To maintain a specific oil quality over a predetermined cycle, an oil filter, which serves to filter contaminants which arise out of the oil, is arranged in the oil circuit. Particularly during the operation of diesel motors, corrosive acids may arise in the oil, for whose neutralization appropriate metallic materials are positioned in the oil filter. Unfavorable operating parameters, such as frequently performing a cold start, may lead to premature deterioration of the oil quality, even within the predetermined oil change interval. As a consequence, increased wear or even damage to the hydraulic installation and/or drive motor may occur.
To avoid these problems, U.S. Pat. No. 4,791,374 discloses an oil circuit in which an oil condition sensor is provided for measuring the oil quality. If the measured parameters deviate from a target range, deterioration of the oil quality may be recognized early and an oil change can be initiated. High requirements are set on the quality and particularly the service life of the oil condition sensor, which, among other things, makes the measurement device expensive and uneconomical.